Parched Throats and Reaching Hands
by chubbysquirrel132
Summary: Simple souls are few and far between. Those inbetweeners can create differences when no one is looking.
1. A Shaky Beginning

Delphi

Mistral was a wealthy country. Rich in culture and history.

And bloodsport.

To be fair, only the most gruesome of matches were reserved for the underbelly of the country. Where the criminals and villainous tend to stick to.

The Mistral Regional Tournament was one of the few gladiator type competitions to be held by the public eye. It was a chance for academies all over Mistral to show off the best of the best. One such best was a young Pyrrha Nikos third time reigning champion and on the fast track to a fourth time.

Delphi, needless to say, was hyperventilating into a paper bag right before the semi-finals. The girl honestly had no idea how she had gotten this far. Her opponents up until now had all been talented and challenging. She might even have to get a haircut to accommodate the now singed side of her head due to an explosion that went off dangerously close to her right side.

But Pyrrha Nikos was on an entirely different level. The purple eyed teen had been dreading this ever since the official tournament bracket had been posted. No amount of planning or preparation could have calmed the dread bubbling in her stomach.

Loud applause echoed from the arena to the chambers where contestants were kept right before their match. Dust fell from the stone walls and ceiling by the vibrations of stomping feet and volume alone. Maybe being crushed to death would be less shameful than the utter defeat that was bound to happen in a couple of minutes Delphi thought to herself.

Deft, tanned fingers pulled away the paper bag from her mouth as the girl mused to herself.

"You thinking clearly now?" The hard accented voice of her mother asked her. Crow feet wrinkled eyes bore into her own as the girl looked up.

"Yes?" Delphi muttered hesitantly. 'Clearly' probably wasn't the word for it. Mind still a jumbled mess, filled with fear and panic. She jumped as her mother pinched her cheeks and pulled them into a semblance of a smile.

"Don't mumble. It is a bad habit. You will do fine." Her mother reassured her as she let go.

Delphi rubbed at her sore cheeks as she said "Yes, mother. I won't let you down."

A warm smile took place over the usually stern face of the woman,"You never have, little one." Her mother placed a turquoise blue bo staff into her awaiting hands. The familiar weight of Bacchus helped to calm Delphi a bit. "Now go show this Nikos girl who is boss."

Her grip tightened as one of the administrative personnel of the tournament knocked on her chamber door. "You're up in ten, Ms. Levender." warned a gruff voice.

Well it was now or never Delphi thought to herself. As she stood and took one last moment to prepare herself, the girl's mother stood and with one last squeeze of her hand in encouragement the woman exited the room.

The administrator stood outside, waiting to escort the young contestant. It was a strained silence on the way to the arena. Footsteps echoed off the stone walls as Delphi's palms became clammy with sweat. Performance anxiety was normal. It was. Really. But there was performance anxiety and then there was fear of death. Granted the referee would definitely call the game before that. Hopefully.

Natural light pooled around the entrance to the arena. And Delphi's guide stuck his arm out to make the girl stop. The jovial high pitched voice of an announcer could be heard over the roar of the crowd.

"This next match is a good one folks and the last of our Semi-Finals! On the right we have a student from Sanctum Academy. She has participated in the last couple of years, and this is her first time making it this far. Let's give her a warm round of applause! Delphi Levender!"

With that signal Delphi felt her guide gently push at her shoulder to urge her forward. Delphi sucked in a large breath as she plastered a large smile onto her face. She sprinted from the entrance of the arena to the center. Waving her arm in greeting and swiveling around in order to see the whole arena. Each time she entered it never failed to take her breath away.

The stone arena despite it's intentionally older looking appearance was state of the art. Dust and technology enhanced ground made the field versatile and able to change before every match. Making it difficult to create a solid strategy before hand. As of right now the field was akin to compact dirt. Dust already clinging to the girl's flowing purple wrap skirt.

The audience was high above and away from the danger zone. With seats that circled the arena completely. So that no angle was missed. Cameras edged the outer areas of the field. Providing close footage of the matches taking place. The tournament could be enjoyed anywhere from Mistral Vacuo.

After the applause for her entrance died down, Delphi stood at the center, looking at the opposite entrance of hers. Excited murmurs erupted in the crowd as the announcer started up again. "And now ladies and gentlemen another student from Sanctum Academy, steps into the ring! Our three time champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament and our Invincible Girl. You all know her name. Pyrrha Nikos!"

The crowds cheer was deafening. It took all of Delphi's self restraint to stop her from plugging her ears. Well that was a direct hit to the ego. How was she supposed to stay calm in the face of that?

Delphi watched as Nikos' spear, Miló struck straight up in a perfect perpendicular to the ground ten feet before her. She gulped as crimson red hair blazed across the field and straight at her. Hey the match hasn't even started yet! Pretty sure there are rules to prevent this from happening.

Before the red streak got to her though it leaped. Using the end of the spear as a stepping stool and launching herself into the air. Let it not be said the Pyrrha Nikos didn't know how to make an entrance. When she landed, Pyrrha knelt, head down and her spear back in her hands, shield strapped to her back. She admittedly looked very cool.

Yeah Delphi was screwed.

As the red haired girl stood applause met her. The audience cheering their loudest and Delpi could feel the earth beneath her shake with the enthusiasm the crowd was providing. Oh how must she look. Bacchus clutched close to her chest with her heart ready to pound out of her chest.

The Invincible Girl leveled her with a calculating look and as emerald green met purple eyes everything else fell away.

Here's the thing about semblances. They are very unpredictable. They can happen whether or not the host of the semblance wanted it to. In Delphi's case it was kind of both. Despite going to the same school, Delphi had never met Pyrrha Nikos face to face. They didn't have the same schedule nor did they share any classes. They didn't share the same friends and they didn't share the same hobbies.

It doesn't happen often but Delphi's semblance kicks in when she meets people's eyes. What better way to meet and get to know someone then to know what will happen to them in the future? The unpredictable part of her semblance was that it didn't happen with everyone. Her eyes can meet others and she would be none the wiser of what will happen to them. She can't induce visions nor stop them from happening.

But with Pyrrha Nikos, of course right before probably the biggest match of her life, Delphi has a vision.

A destroyed tower with two figures in it. One on its knees staring up at the other. Delphi can recognize the one kneeling as her opponent. But only just. The defeated girl, looking lost and afraid looked entirely different to the confident and self assured warrior she had just been facing in a stone arena Remnant knows how far away it is now. But the long red ponytail was unmistakable.

The other figure was much harder to discern. Curly ebony black hair sat contrasting with a red dress with gold embellishments. Striking amber eyes seemed to glow as the woman brought a hand to the crown on Pyrrha's head.

And slowly. So slowly it was like an eternity watching it, Pyrrha looked to glowing. No. Burning. From the inside out. Flaking into dust until all the remained was the girl's circlet in the older woman's hands. Until that too fell away and onto the ground.

Delphi was trembling. Tears gathering in her eyes. It was getting harder to breath. She didn't want to be here anymore. She was going to run. Attack. Flee. Anything but standing and do nothing as her classmate's murderer look down contemplatively at the gold circlet in the ground.

Than all the sudden there's yelling and a silver light encapsulates the room.

Delphi is then back. In the dirt floor of the arena looking up at the faces of the referee and her opponent. Pyrrha Niko with her emerald green eyes. Filled with confusion. But not pain. Not a trace of fear in those eyes.

The girl feels that her aura is depleted not that she thinks she could have fought anyway. She is declared unable to fight. But that doesn't matter to her. All the confusion and criticism in the world couldn't make her tear her eyes away from Pyrrha Nikos as she is taken away on a stretcher.

Her tired eyes stay on the Invincible Girl until she is out of sight.

* * *

Solace

Becoming a huntsman isn't what one would call easy. Years of training, hard work, and blood, sweat, and tears go into becoming a professional. It's not as if you can pick up a weapon one day and decide that you want to kill grimm.

Now on top of all that, attending a training academy isn't cheap. The staff must be paid, fairly modern technology provided to keep students up to date and safe, and most importantly developing a weapon that is perfectly suited to every student and their tastes.

So you could imagine that with such a high price to be a huntsman in training, it would be an honor to be given a scholarship. And Solace was grateful. Don't get him wrong. Without the Prism Scholarship he never would've been able to fulfill his dream of becoming a full fledged huntsman.

It's just that in the past couple of months while at Relay Academy, being a scholarship student has been hard. More than it normally has been anyway. Every student training hard for the final exam, a thing that could make or break your future ambitions of becoming a huntsman. Making sure that he has perfect grades in every class. Even having to go the extra mile and make sure to look presentable at any given moment. Scouts were always on the lookout for potential. Needless keeping up the appearances of scholarship student was very difficult and troublesome.

The boy was lost in thought when a sudden weight collided into his arm, drawing him out of his thoughts.

"You're going to get your face stuck like that you know." A laughter filled voice teased him.

"It'll still look better than yours." He shot back at the smaller girl now clinging to his arm.

She stuck her tongue out at him before holding on tighter. The girl barely reached his shoulder with the tip of her curly, unruly hair barely contained with a purple bandana. Ocean blue eyes looked up at him with a twinkle in them that he knew better than to trust."

"Tamika." Solace said accusingly. "What did you do?"

A smirk raced across his friend's face and was gone in the same second. "My dear Solace. Whatever could you mean? I have never done anything in my life to warrant such suspicion."

"Now I know you're lying." Solace tried pushing the girl away but to no avail. She was like a cat, digging her nails deeper into the fabric of the boy's uniform.

As if on cue, the loud stomping feet of way too many students came rapidly closer to the pair.

"Aw c'mon, Tamika! What'd you do this time?" Solace yelled as he picked the prankster up by her waist and hoisting her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. This working better to dislodge her from his clothes, of which she would never have let go of any other way. Something more akin to a cackle than a giggle escaped the girl as Solace ran for his and her life.

Solace didn't actually get an answer as he led the stampede of students on a wild goose chase through the courtyard and around the perimeter of the school. He was finally able to ditch the crowd by ducking around a corner and sticking close to a wall, keeping a hand over Tamika's mouth to keep the witch from drawing attention. He waited until he heard the yelling of students pass to take a deep breath and unceremoniously, drop the girl on her butt.

A low groan escaped his classmate as she lay spread out on the grass. "You could stand to be a bit more gentle you know. I think I'm gonna throw up."

"Well you could stand to not have the entire school calling for your head. Seriously 'Mika how do you expect people to take you seriously when all you do is pull pranks?" The male student knew he was giving the girl a hard time. Tamika was a serious student. She was in fact brilliant. Sharp witted and always light on her feet. If it weren't for a bad case of laziness and tendency to goof off, she could be one of the top students at Relay. It's just that Solace couldn't help it. With the year almost to a close he knew it wouldn't be long till the both of them would leave southern Vale and become students of Beacon. He wanted to be prepared and ready for the obstacles that they would undoubtedly face.

"It's not like I'll be there every time you want me to be your getaway runner."

"I know that." Tamika said dismissively, focusing on blades of grass beside her and avoiding eye contact. "And for your information I can run faster than you, Mr. Concrete Wall. I'm surprised you didn't trip over your big stupid feet."

Solace paused to look down at the girl. "I know you only insult my feet when you're upset." He said softly as his golden brown eyes searched out blue. "What's going on Tamika?"

"Don't you think that things are moving too fast?" He heard the girl mutter quietly after a pause. "Graduation is in a couple of weeks and then we'll be off to Beacon. We're going to leave everything we know here and go up there and everything's going to be different. I won't even know how to start."

A sigh escaped the boy at Tamika's confession, shoulders relaxing into a less strict pose. Of course she was worried. Changes brought new things and new things were scary. He can't be the only one that's worried about the future here.

"Hey." Solace pokes at his friend's cheek, lowering himself onto the grass. "Hey." He pokes harder only for tiny hands to swat them away and a scrunched up face glaring up at him. "It's not like everything's gonna change. You're still gonna have to see this tragically handsome face everywhere you go. "

"Blegh! I'd much rather go blind." Tamika giggled, moving her hands to playfully smack at the sides of Solace's head. "I'm gonna be stuck with you, huh?"

"Unfortunately." The tall paladin nodded solemnly as he pretended not to see the small smile on the witch's face. This time Tamika really did smack has face.

"Jerk."

* * *

Graham

Graham wiped the sweat from his brow as he placed the last cardboard box full of his mother's belongings into her new apartment. It wasn't everyday that your mother met a wealthy man who loved her just as much she loved him and offered to fly everything they owned from Vacuo to Vale just to have them be closer. But it had happened and five months later it was like he was transplanted into a new dimension.

Gone were the mountainous rangelands of Vacuo. With skies bluer and vaster than any ocean. Here there was concrete roads, skyscrapers, and traffic that grated on the gray haired boy's sensitive hearing. A dingo's tale swung irritably back and forth as Graham inspected the penthouse suite his mother would now be living in.

He was happy for his mother. Really. If any woman deserved a better life, it was her. Hard working and even supporting Graham his way through huntsman prep school, she deserved the world. It's just that why did the world she got have to be central Vale.

Graham shook his head, trying to dispel his less than happy thoughts. Sure his plans of attending Shade Academy were shot down as soon as his mother and new stepdad announced their plans of moving. And sure Beacon wouldn't have any of his friends from Caster Academy. There would probably be even less faunus here in Vale as opposed to those in Vacuo. But he had to look on the bright side. If no one knew who he was, then that means he can get away with all his old habits without anyone trying to correct them right away. As long as he was careful there would be none the wiser.

Ah who was he kidding. Graham missed his friends and home. It ached like a wound in his heart. A heavy sigh escaped him and he could feel his tail curl inward. Quiet footsteps made him perk up in curiosity. He turned to see his mother looking around at the new apartment in wonder and delight. The tight knot forming in the faunus' chest loosened the slightest at the expression on his mother's face. If she was enjoying it so much then he supposes the new place couldn't hurt too much.

Calloused hands took hold of the boy's own. "Isn't it wonderful Graham?" his mother breathed. "It's so much larger than our last home. And oh! The view is just gorgeous. You can almost see the whole kingdom."

"Yeah mom. It is pretty great." The gray haired boy acquiesced

"I'm just disappointed that you won't be able to enjoy it here for long. My little boy. Already leaving his poor mother for bigger and brighter things. I just hope he remembers to write now and again." Crocodile tears threatened to spill from the woman's eyes.

Graham rolled his eyes at his mother's theatrics. "Moooomm" he whined. "I won't even be that far away. Just a bullhead rides distance. I promise"

A warm chuckle sounded off behind the pair. Two hands wrapped their way around his mother's waist and pulled her back. Laughter escaped her as she was spun around in the arms of Graham's new stepdad.

Marc Vulcan was neither handsome nor ugly. Graham honestly couldn't tell what his mother saw in him. He was tall with slick backed, black hair. Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, with a maroon tie and matching pocket square, Graham supposes he could strike quite the poised and sophisticated impression. Although after five months of knowing him, Graham knew that the man was actually pretty eccentric and in a word, weird.

Next to his mother though, with her silver hair and olive toned skin, both of which Graham had inherited, he could say that Marc was a bit below the woman's league. But who was Graham to judge true love.

The couple stopped long enough for both of them to regain their composure. Marc cleared his throat before stepping back and looking at the mother and son pair. "You have no idea how elated I am now that you guys are here!"

"This place is amazing Marc. I can't believe you're doing all of this for us." Gracia said.

"Well how could I leave the perfect woman right after I had just found her."

Graham had to hold back a groan as he watched the two adults make doe eyes at each other. It was kind of sweet the first week, but now, nearly half a year in and the lovey-dovey phase of a relationship can only last so long right?

"And her wonderful son of course. Couldn't forget about him." Marc tacked on, trying to make the boy feel less awkward. Although it aimed at doing quite the opposite.

"Yeah. Thanks Marc. For all of this." Graham appreciated everything the man was doing. And as far as Graham's opinion went, while weird, Marc was pretty cool. He couldn't hate him for making his mother happy. But it was weird after not having a father for so long. Marc was just filling a hole that wasn't there.

Graham knew about three things about his father. One, that he was a faunus. Two, the man was a huntsman. And three, he was probably dead. His mother always assured him that his father was a wonderful man. Strong and kind. Everything a huntsman should be. But after one mission, his mother recalls always with a wistful expression, he simply never came back. And that was it. Before Graham could memorize a face, he was gone.

"I realize that this move may be hard on both of you." Marc starts up again, rousing Graham from his musings. "But I really am so happy that you both have come here to Vale with me. You have both made me the happiest man alive."

The new family stood in an awkward but touched silence. "Oh! I almost forgot." Marc pulled two presents wrapped in neat red wrapping paper. "Some housewarming gifts from me." as he gently placed the smaller package in his mom's hand and the larger one in the faunus'.

The mother and son duo looked at each other before both messily ripping the paper off in their excitement and curiosity. In his mother's hands a small jewelry box was opened to reveal a glistening silver necklace. A triskelion formed to fit inside a circle was the centerpiece.

"Marc." His mother whispered. "It's beautiful."

The man seemed to relax over his lover's approval. He stepped forward to take the box from her hands and deftly took the necklace, hooking it around Gracia's neck.

Graham, grudgingly admitting Marc's slickness, looked down at his own present. Trying to give the adults some privacy. He opened the black box with an official looking 'V' logo on it. Steel gray eyes widened as a sleek white boomerang sat cushioned on black velvet.

The cool, sharpened, metal was heavy in Graham's hands. It would need a lot of force to be able to have it fly properly but it was still a beautiful work of craftsmanship. With a flick of his wrist, metal plates shifted and small mechanics clicked into place. He was soon holding a white automatic pistol in his hand.

Graham shifted the weapon back into a boomerang, as he did so he noted that the word 'Tempesta' was carved into the handle along with the same 'V' logo as was on the box. He lifted his head to look at the man who had gifted the weapon to him. Both of the adults were staring at him in anticipation. His eyes seeked his mother's first. The woman's eyes shifted to her lover and back quickly in a signal to thank the man.

"Thank you Marc. This is just . . . wow" The gray haired boy stammered, at a loss for words.

A chuckle escaped his stepfather. "I'm so glad you like it. I hope it serves you well and keeps you safe."

"Well this has been exciting." The silver haired woman stated. "How about we get take out and call it a day boys?"

"Yes ma'am" stated both Marc and Graham in unison.

While shaky, it was a good start to a new beginning.


	2. From Bad to Good to Worse

Delphi

Lots of things can change in four months.

Four months ago she had plans on going to Haven. Delphi was so sure of it. She has lived in Mistral her whole life. From Sanctum straight to Haven, that was the plan.

Four months ago she lived with her family in Mistral.

Four months ago she believed that the future should be left stone. There is nothing anyone can do about it.

Two months ago Pyrrha Nikos announced that she would be attending Beacon Academy. By that time it was too late for any determined fans to transfer to Beacon with the warrior celebrity.

The funny thing about future vision though is that Delphi knew the announcement was coming in advance. So simply taking the late admissions test into Beacon right before the deadline of three months before the start of the new semester was easy.

The oracle's family has always been adamant about never interfering with what the visions showed her. It was wrong to disrupt the flow of what was meant to happen. But Delphi has always wondered why was she given such a semblance if not to use it? Wasn't it her duty to help those she could as a huntress in training?

Emerald green and glowing amber eyes still appear in her dreams. The brunette shakes her head to dispel the image. No one deserves to die like that in Delphi's opinion. So that's why, two months ago, Delphi ran away from home. Leaving a note for her mother, father, and little brother. She needed them to understand why she was doing this. With her pack filled with all the money, clothes, and food she could carry she was filled with the determination that she was doing the right thing.

With this same determination she stepped onto the bullhead that would take her to Beacon Academy.

Saying and doing of plans were very different as anyone should know. Beacon gets a couple of hundred students every year. Enough to fill five bullheads. So when trying to find one person it was admittedly very difficult. What she got was instead a blonde running into her in a rush to get to the bathroom. Screaming something about vomit on her shoe

Well no use being unhelpful. "I think you missed a spot." the purple eyed student pointed out at the sink next to the blonde.

"Ah! Where?!" she said as she swivelled her foot around trying to find any remaining flecks of puke.

"The bottom on your heel. It kinda looks like mushed bread." Delphi chuckled despite herself at her new classmate's predicament.

"Gross gross gross gross gross." Furious scrubbing followed as the vomit was banished from existence.

Delphi left the girl to her mantra, drying her hands and returning outside to the main deck of the bullhead.

The view from the window was breathtaking. While not yet there, the clock tower of Beacon standing tall and proud could be seen clearly. Students gathered at the exit awaiting the docking of the aircraft. Delphi got caught in the flow of the crowd and was soon pushed towards the gates of Beacon Academy.

The first thing seen from exiting the bullheads was the enormous grounds of the academy. Beacon was, in Delphi's opinion, freaking ginormous. Becoming fed up with the insistent pushing of the crowd, the girl shoved and elbowed her way out. After taking a deep breath, she looked around and saw the general flow going towards a giant hall. While scanning the crowd, purple eyes looked for any flash of crimson red that could be identified as her ex-opponent.

And then finally! As if by magic the crowd parted just so that Delphi could see red and gold walking slowly along the edges of the crowd. The girl stepped quickly to catch up, but slowed down towards the end as to not be seen.

Doubts were suddenly bombarding her mind. What was Delphi thinking? How is she supposed to approach and talk to Pyrrha Nikos? 'Hi! I passed out right before I was going to fight you. Remember me?' What on Remnant was she thinking? Where was her paper bag?

"Hey you okay there?" a voice asked Delphi as she sat on the outside of the hall. Head in her hands, contemplating her life choices.

The oracle looked up and saw green eyes, and she swore she thought her heart stopped for a second. But not a lock of red hair in sight. Just hair that seemed to be made of spun gold pulled into two pigtails. "Y-yeah. I'm fine." Delphi managed to stammer with a shaky voice out. "Just, you know, nervous to start at a new school."

"You and me both." agreed the stranger. Her gloved hand was stretched out towards Delphi in a gesture of help. "But what's moping out here going to do but make us worry more?"

Delphi took the hand gratefully. A surprisingly strong grip hauled her up and she found herself staring into the eyes of her helper again. "Lee Goud. Nice to meet you." the blonde chirped happily.

"Delphi Levender. Thanks for the help."

"No sweat. But hey, I think we're going to be late for the opening ceremony if we don't get our butts in gear."

One brisk walk later the two girls found themselves in the auditorium. A man with white hair and a green outfit was standing at a mic.

He gave a speech about learning to become stronger for the people and wasted potential. In general the whole room was left feeling off kilter.

"Well wasn't he a ball of sunshine" Lee said, blowing out air in a heavy sigh. Delphi could only nod her head in agreement. What a weird man. That was the headmaster of Beacon? Seriously? Well her mother always said to never judge a book by it's cover. But then again who wants to read a book that said 'You're wasted potential.'?

The two girls headed towards the lockers to drop off their weapons. It was hard to let go of the bo staff when they arrived. The length of smooth, cool wood was a comfort to her. A reminder of where she was from. The first day in a strange place was hard. Delphi was too caught up in her ambitions that she pushed away her homesickness.

She will miss the mountainous terrain of Mistral. The fields outside of her house with the noise of the goats her family kept around filling the air. The smell of her mother's cooking. Her brother, Apophis, laughing at his own stupid pranks and jokes.

"You good there Del?" Lee asked, poking at the taller girl's shoulder.

The girl jumped. She could feel the moisture gathering in her eyes. "Y-yeah. I'm fine." Delphi assured as she ducked her head to hide her face, arm coming up to wipe away her tears. "Really."

"I'm gonna set up my sleeping bag." Delphi waited for the blonde girl's acknowledgment before heading towards the ballroom. She needded some time alone to think.

Many had already claimed their spot on the floor. Somehow, among the patchwork field of sleeping bags, Delphi was able to find a spot in the middle of the hall big enough for two. Just in the off chance Lee would need a place later.

It took some maneuvering and frustrated huffing, but the brunette was soon able to spread out her sleeping bag and punch her lumpy bed roll into something that didn't look like a sad pile of rocks.

It had been a surprisingly fast day. You know what they say. Time flies when you're having an existential crisis. With a sigh the girl rose, pajamas in hand. Ready to change out of her outfit and into something more comfortable.

Her hand was just about to grasp the handle to the women's restrooms when the door swung open, towards Delphi. A cherry on top of the already kinda bad sundae. "Ah!" The girl yelped in pain, falling on her butt, hands clutched around her nose.

"Oh my! I'm sorry." An awfully familiar voice sounded right in front of the fallen girl. Delphi could have sworn hearts aren't supposed to skip that many beats. Ever so slowly clenched lids opened only for purple eyes to meet painstakingly emerald green ones.

"H-hey Pyrrh-"

Before Delphi could finish she found herself pulled up from the ground and into the bathroom.

"Why are you here?" a harder voice than what the red haired girl had used to apologize just a few moments ago said.

The brunette had to take a moment to blink the dots in her vision away, Yeah getting up that fast after hitting her head probably wasn't the best combination. "Attending school?" The girl offered tentatively to the other. Who knew the Invincible Girl could be intimidating in pink, fuzzy, pajama pants too.

"Last time I checked Sanctum was in Mistral."

"Look Pyr-"

"Did you want a rematch? Is that what this is about? I do feel guilty for the way our match went. But to go this far-"

"Woah woah woah! It's not like that." The champion's incredulous stare bore into Delphi. "Really! I just. I just wanted a change." The oracle was sweating with how much she was lying through her teeth right now. "Mistral was too small. I've lived there my whole life. I wanted to expand my horizons. Get out there and see the world you know?"

The expression on Pyrrha's face softened slightly."I see. I suppose I can understand. I'd be a hypocrite to admonish you."

Delphi let out a silent sigh of relief as the ponytailed girl turned around. Thank the gods she bought her lame excuse.

"Well we are both here now I suppose." Pyrrha started to speak again. "It's good to see a familiar face away from home."

Something about the girl's tone made it known that the statement wasn't wholly true, but Delphi didn't want to push her luck.

"It's good to see you here too, Pyrrha." A small smile was on her face as the brunette watched the red haired warrior exit the bathroom.

A groan escaped Delphi's throat after a minute of standing next to the sinks in silence. Making sure that no one would hear.. Worst first day ever.

* * *

Tamika

Well Beacon was definitely different.

And Tamika still wasn't sure if she liked that just yet. Beacon was bigger. There were more people and everyone seemed to gungho about proving themselves. Although that last one was probably just due to it being the first day.

"Solace, where are you sleeping?" The short girl demanded, dragging her sleeping pack behind her.

"I'm pretty sure they're keeping the boys and girls apart." Her larger sidekick said pointedly.

"Well it's a good thing I'm a woman then isn't it."

Solace snorted into a fist, quickly shifting it into a fake coughing fit after the witch shot him a glare.

"Hey get up. That's my spot."

Heads swiveled towards the upcoming storm like sharks to blood. A tall boy with red hair swept into a quiff and a face that practically begged to be punched was standing over a gray haired student, already looking snug in his puffy sleeping bag.

"Nah. I think I'm comfortable here. Besides I was here first."

Such a bland retort coming from a lump on the ground directed towards the other student that looked ready to squash him like a bug made the whole scene very comical . Whispers started to become louder and hushed laughs could be heard.

The boy that was standing started to go as red as his hair. Not appreciating being made a fool of. "You think you're funny?" The boy hissed. He reached down to grab the half asleep student by the collar and hoist him up, out of his bag.

"Now it's cold. Why don't you just leave me alone. That way we can go to sleep quicker."

A tense silence fell over the audience of what was unfolding. The sleeping bag had fallen away to reveal a bushy, white tipped tail. The taller student dropped the other like he had burned him. "So not only are you annoying. But you're one of those freaks too huh." The boy had practically spit at the faunus.

Tamika had to click her tongue in disappointment. Figured the only thing that wasn't different about Beacon was the racists. She stood on her tiptoes and and raised a hand so that no one could read her lips as she whispered in Solace's ear, "Hey should we do something?"

"Already on it." Her trusty companion said. He took large steps towards the two boys. While the ginger boy was tall, Solace was taller. Being friends with a chivalrous giant had its perks. "Is there a problem here boys? I heard the teachers say it was lights out soon. We should wrap things up."

"He started it." the bully said, thumb thrust toward the gray haired faunus still on the ground. He was watching the interaction with passive eyes.

"And I'm finishing it." The paladin's voice went as hard as steel, amber gold eyes boring into the shorter of the two. Tamika could see the ginger's adam's apple bob as he gulped.

With a click of his tongue he said, "Whatever. Stupid spot isn't worth this anyway." The boy stalked off further into the hall and away from the audience that had gathered around them.

"Hey you okay man?" Solace knelt down so he was at eye level with the gray haired student. Passive eyes stared up at the two of them as Tamika walked up to join them.

"Yeah, I am. Thanks for stepping in." An olive toned hand reached out to shake in greeting. "Graham."

"No problem." The paladin grasped the offered hand in a firm shake. "Solace. This miniature hurricane is Tamika."

Gray eyes behind drooping eyelids stared up at her face. He was handsome, Tamika supposed. In a just rolled out of bed kind of way. He has a slightly crooked nose and squared jawline. Curly gray hair that was kept short and swept to the side. Two moles under his right eye tied the whole look together.

A nod of acknowledgment and a brief handshake later, Solace and her were sat down making small talk with Graham as the night bore on. Lights out was called and the trio bid each other good night. "It was nice meeting you Graham. Since a buzzkill informed me that I'm not allowed in the boys section, I bid you adieu." Tamika mockingly bowed low towards the dingo faunus. While also flipping a rude hand gesture into the face of her friend.

"Get out of here already." Solace chuckled quietly, trying not to wake the surrounding students.

Tamika stuck her tongue out at him before turning on her heel and making her way away from the boys and towards the girls. All in all, Tamika would definitely say it could've been a lot worse.

* * *

Oliver

When people thought of a second day of school, they probably thought that hey, it'll probably be less awkward. Nothing left to go but up. Well Oliver was a pessimist with a shovel he wasn't afraid to use. First he was late to breakfast because he got lost in the giant halls of Beacon. And when he did finally find the cafeteria, the last pancake was taken by an energetic ginger with a tired ravenette following after her. So just cold, burnt, and soggy french toast for him.

Things tended to go pear shaped around him. He couldn't help it! If he didn't already know it, he would've sworn that his massive bad karma was his semblance. Unbeknownst to anyone in particular, somewhere, a crow sneezed.

Already exhausted, Oliver trudged to his locker. And, of course, because the universe loves to laugh at him, there was a blonde boy pinned to it. With a red and gold spear through his shoulder. Perfect. His locker was now a crime scene. A groan sounded off but the green haired boy wasn't sure if it was him or the blonde.

Wait.

The blonde!

Oh thank the gods he was alive.

Before he could have done anything akin to helping the poor blonde the stern voice of Ms Goodwitch sounded from the intercoms. "Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation. Again, all first year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

A girl whose color scheme seemed to match the spear gouging the blonde boy's hoodie effortlessly pulled the weapon from the locker, muttering an apology before heading out towards the cliff. It wasn't until all the other people were gone that Oliver was able to get to his locker equip his weapon on each arm. A full body sigh took what little he had left in him. Why oh why did he want to become a huntsman again?

The hope filled faces of his little brothers and sisters flashed through his head. Well he has come this far. The green haired boy began to work himself into a sprint to catch up with the other students. He can still do this. Can't let a bad day get to him.

Besides, a little bit more isn't going to hurt him.

Unless that 'little bit more' was him being launched off a cliff, thirty feet into the air. 'Landing strategy' his ass. If the landing didn't kill him, Professor Ozpin is going to have to sleep with one eye open Oliver swore.

Worst second day in history.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you'd like. Next chapter everyone meets their partners. _


	3. Upsides and Downsides

Lee

While Lee had no intention of being launched off a cliff today, she'd had weirder mornings. The girl almost did a dance on her launch pad when the words 'landing strategy' left the headmaster's lips. Times like these were why Lee was glad for her adamancy on having a hover board as a weapon. Ozpin was going to have to try a lot harder to get rid of her.

As soon as she felt herself start to obey gravity Lee whipped Dust Devil off her back and under her feet. Her boots slipped into the slots were her feet were meant to go. Lee's arms flailed a bit as she gained her balance on top of the activated board. A satisfied smirk pulled the corners of her mouth up as she shifted the goggles on top of her head over her eyes. Lee one. Gravity zero.

Lee straightened her aviators jacket before shifting her body weight forward to guide the hoverboard. She started to go north towards the temple. The faster she get this thing done the better. She knew she'd have to stop and look for a partner eventually. No way was she going to leave that choice up to fate. Too much risk at getting a weirdo as her partner.

Lee debated on who would be a good choice. Not a lot came to mind. It's not like she knew many people at Beacon. While many fellow Signal alumni were attending, Lee wasn't what you would call close to them.

Yang Xiao Long would be an interesting partner. Strong, capable, able to kick anyone's ass into next week. And she was one of the top graduating students of their year in Signal. It would come in real handy to have the blonde brawler watching Lee's back. But on top of all of that she was popular. Very. Popular. Anyone from Signal would be on the lookout for her as a partner. Not to mention the girl's little sister. The little red hooded girl seemed anxious to be away from her peers and was stuck to her older sister like a burr. No doubt everyone else would have a run for their money.

So Xiao Long was a no go. Who else? She heard that Pyrrha Nikos was attending Beacon as a first year last night in passing. That would certainly not be anything to scoff at. Having a world renown champion would be incredible. But that option had the same cons as Xiao Long. Too popular. Too sought after.

Hmm decisions decisions.

Lee's head was in the clouds when the sound of fighting reached her ear. Smoke rose from the treetops behind her. Vicious snarls and battle cries shook the trunks and leaves as the battle raged on. After weighing the options in her head, curiosity beat the threat of having a random person be her partner for four years. What can she say. Lee was weak to mysteries.

As the blonde girl doubled back, she slowly lowered herself below the canopy. Making sure to keep quiet as to avoid gaining the attention of the beowolves and the fighting student.

To the girl's pleasant surprise it was Delphi. The brunette girl was leading a fluid yet relentless attack on the three Grimm that had cornered her in the small clearing.

Well there were worse options. Delphi's form was admirable and she didn't seem to be a slouch either. Taking on three grimm at the same time all by yourself was nothing to sneeze at. Gone was the close to tears girl Lee had found outside of the school. There was a capable fighter under all those nerves and jitters.

Lee dismounted on the ground a couple of feet away. She then bent her hoverboard in half to kick start the change from board to hunting rifle. With careful aim and a long, steady breath out, the blonde pulled the trigger. The bullet caught one Grimm in the shoulder, redirecting all the attention to her.

"Need help there Del?" Lee said cheekily.

Purple eyes widened as they met her own forest green irises. "Lee?"

The blonde shot at another grim, this time being able to hit another creature between the eyes. "The one and only."

Delphi seemed to jump at the reminder of the situation. Turning quickly, Lee's new partner twirled her bo staff so the end with what looked like a teal pine cone on it was jabbed into the remaining Grimm's stomach. A muffled click came from the staff and the next thing that Lee knew there was a small explosion that blew the wolf monster back. It was gonna have a hard time getting up from that one.

A quiet overtook the clearing. As grimm dissolved around them Lee could only say one thing. "So, you come here often?"

* * *

Solace

An upside to having a very large shield as a main weapon and having over two hundred pounds of muscle and armor on him was that smashing through branches as easy as slicing a hot knife through butter. On top of that there was only half a chance of him breaking something on the impact of the ground rather than one hundred percent.

When Solace had rolled to a stop as he hit the ground, he disengaged his shield. Pulling his forearms away from each other, the two-part shield folded back into his gauntlets. That was one thing done. Now to find a partner.

Trudging through the forest was going to be a feat. Especially since he landed so close to Beacon Cliff. Solace groaned. His feet already hurt from just the thought. The boy started on a light jog. No use in complaining while standing still. Solace had always been a good multitasker.

After half an hour of a steady pace the paladin let himself slow to a stop to catch his breath. The downside to having a large shield as a main weapon and having over two hundred pounds of muscle and armor on him was that it was heavy. You didn't get this much muscle by lifting light things.

As he stood hunched over, leaning against a tree for support, he heard the snap of a twig. The student was instantly on his guard. Hands pulled up in a tight fist to guard his face, Solace rotated slowly, trying to keep an eye on his surroundings.

A roar was the only warning he got before the large paw of an Ursa swept out at him. Solace rolled to duck under the attack. The other raised paw came down right next to his head. A backwards somersault saved his neck from being torn to shreds. He clenched his fist to activate the left side of his shield. Fist swinging up in an uppercut motion, the sharpened tip of his shield caught the grimm just under its chin.

While the Ursa was stunned Solace brought his forearms together to form his shield fully. In the middle of the shield there was a dust crystal. Not one meant to control the elements, but simply one to conduct and concentrate whatever went into it. It had cost a pretty penny to buy and install in his weapon. But it was worth it.

When he heard metal lock in place Solace took a deep breath and gathered the resolve to activate his semblance. It started small at first. Light seemed to be gathering just beneath his dark skin. Then suddenly, light shone from every section of uncovered skin. The boy willed the light to shine directly into the dust crystal.

Creatures of grimm were, in summary, beings of darkness. It fed off negative emotions like fear and anger. So it was likewise that, when confronted with pure light, they would go down faster than a lead balloon.

When the ray of light hit the Ursa, it instantly started to petrify. Any part the light touched would turn to stone. Solace shined it on the creature's legs before deactivating his semblance. As quickly as it started it was finished. While definitely a powerful tool, it took a lot of aura to maintain and there was still a lot of forest to cover. Who knows how many more grimm were out there.

After retracting the right side of his shield, Solace pierced through the grimm's neck with the left side of Molten Bastion. The boy waited for the snarling to die down before retracting his weapon completely.

"You get a solid seven out of ten. You get some points for your reflexes and maneuvering, but relying on your semblance to win. Tsk tsk." Tamika admonished teasingly.

Solace sighed and closed his eyes so he wouldn't make eye contact with his friend out of pure petulance. "And how long have you been watching me?"

The paladin heard the shorter girl giggle. "Oh I saw where you landed and figured you'd be around eventually. So let's say a good ten minutes. I was wondering when you would notice me."

"You didn't think to maybe help me out?"

"And ruin all my fun? Solace, what a horrible thing for you to even suggest."

The boy rolled his eyes to the best of his ability behind his eyelids. This girl was going to be the death of him.

"You gonna open your eyes anytime soon?"

"Only people who help me get to be my partner." Solace turned his head in the opposite direction of where the witch's voice had come from.

"Aw c'mon Sol don't be like that."

Their chatter filled the forest as they made their way through it. Of course the boy knew he couldn't keep his eyes closed forever. Just for now he would use what he could to mess with his partner.

* * *

Graham

Perks of being a dingo faunus was that it came with a keen sense of smell and hearing. Grimm were easy to sniff out. The stench of fear and negative feelings weren't hard to avoid. So Graham took his sweet time walking in a direction he assumed was North. As for how he got on the ground, haven't you ever heard that dingos always land on their feet? Or was that cats? Whatever. He's on the ground and that's all that matters.

The boy had already been stopping at various battles to look at prospective partners. So far nothing really peaked his interests. He had more heard rather than see a blonde student pinned to a tree by a spear asking for help. While he really would have liked to, that spear was obviously a claim over the blonde as a partner and Graham wasn't about to touch that. He had almost stumbled upon the ginger students that had tried to intimidate him out of his sleeping spot. Luckily he already seemed to have a partner. A shorter boy with a pale green mohawk and twin daggers clenched in his hands.

Graham had very discreetly sprinted away from that. He really hoped his partner was a bit more decent of a person then that. It wasn't the first time that the gray haired boy had been targeted for his faunus status. Instances like that he ignored it like water off a duck's back. But having a partner that would ridicule him for something he couldn't control for four years was pretty daunting. Not to mention it sounds exhausting.

Graham was certain he saw the end of the forest when he heard the rumble of what seemed like hundreds of hooved feet hitting the ground rapidly. Now it may just be the boy's sharp intuition, but that couldn't possibly be a good thing.

The rumbling got louder by the second and soon he didn't need sensitive hearing to know that whatever was coming it was big. It was when Graham started to hear screaming in the distance did his interest get piqued.

"How did you manage to piss off an entire herd of boarbatusks?!" panted a high strung voice.

Ah that explained it.

" How was I supposed to know that what we killed was its baby?" Demanded another.

It took a little bit of time for the dots to connect. The voices were getting louder. Which means that they were getting closer. Which means whoever had a herd of angry boarbatusk on their tail was coming closer. Which equates to Graham should probably run like his life depended on it.

The gray haired boy broke into a full sprint in the opposite direction. No amount of sense of smell would be able to let him avoid a full stampede.

The people connected to the voices were soon upon him. It was hard to see them out of the corner of his eye. Granted him and the three people who had joined him were more focused on running away than anything else.

Angry squeals were right behind them. While Graham really should have known better he looked behind him. Gods almighty there were a lot.

The four of them broke through the end of the forest. Entering a large clearing where it looked like some people had already had some trouble. Giant nevermore feathers were stuck in the ground and sharp spikes of dust induced ice were poking up.

"We need to stop here!" Graham yelled at his classmates.

"Are you crazy?!" A pale blue haired student with round, stylish glasses yelled at him. "They're right behind us, genius."

"We can't run forever. They'll run us over before we can outrun them."

"He's right we can't keep this pace up forever. Your partner looks like he's about to collapse." The tallest out of the four of them pointed out. Graham recognized him as the one with the high strung voice. The last boy was indeed breathing really hard, enough to not be able to protest the boy's reasoning. With face redder than his hair from the effort this run was taking, it was kind of a miracle that he was keeping pace at all.

A gunshot sounded from across the field. While Graham wasn't a believer of any religion, this instance might be what converted him. The thud of a downed boarbatusk was closely followed by distressed squeals and more thuds as one creature after another tripped and stumbled.

"Over here!" a girl's voice called out to them. A brunette girl was waving at them, beckoning to come over to the other end of the clearing. What Graham assumed to be their savior's partner was stationed in a tree, hunting rifle firing one shot after another into the stampede behind them.

With one last burst of energy they were back in the cover of the forest. The poor ginger student practically dry heaved his guts out when they stopped running. His blue haired partner was kneeling next to him, hand giving firm pats to his back. The rest of them weren't that much better. Graham himself was trying to catch his breath.

"Sorry to be a buzzkill, but they're regrouping." The girl in the tree said. "I'd say we got about three minutes before they're on us."

Graham's brain was going a mile a second. He was going to count the ginger down for the count. So that left five against roughly fifty now. That left him blondie, purple, tall guy, glasses, and himself.

"How good is your aim?" He asked Blondie.

"Not bad, but no guarantee I won't hit any of you if you guys are out there running around. The girl said down at him. "I can be more help on the ground with you guys out there."

"I can cover you."

Graham turned to Ginger Kid. While not red faced anymore, he was still a shade of sickly pale green. "My weapon is long range. I can help." The boy insisted as he hefted a crossbow to show him. The faunus gave a nod. He'll use whatever he could get.

He then turned to Tall Guy. Piercing sky blue eyes stared down at his steel gray. As the only two without a partner in this little rag tag group, Graham supposes he just met his. "You got enough in you to take out some grimm?" Tall Guy had been running longer than Graham had. That full out of a sprint can take a toll on the aura of some people. He didn't need people collapsing out of exhaustion in a fight.

"Do I look like shorty over there?" the green haired boy rolled his eyes as he pointed his thumb towards Glasses.

"What did you say?" Demanded the mentioned student angrily. It came out in between heavy breaths.

Tall Guy was about to respond but Graham cut him off. "Now is not the time." He turned to face Glasses. "You wait here and catch your breath. Join us when you're ready." While he didn't look happy, Glasses tightened his jaw and nodded.

Graham directed his attention back to his partner. "You, blondie and purple over there are with me. You and me will take them from the right. You two will go from the right. We'll divide and conquer. Simple as that."

Blondie snorted. "'Simple as that' he says." She still meets his eyes and nods her head in understanding. "You got it boss. Leave it to me and Del."

Graham gives a decisive nod before taking position at the edge of the forest. The boarbatusks seemed to had just finished shaking off the daze and confusion of the barrage Blondie had rained down on them. As his companions followed suit Graham whispered quietly. "On my mark."

A few bated breaths passed. A warcry in the form of a squeal sounded and Graham yelled "Now!"

Graham spiked his aura to give him a burst of speed and he felt his companions do the same. Tall Guy was at his side as he circled around the clearing. Tempesta was in his hand in pistol form. Shooting half to kill, half to gain the attention of the herd.

"I'm going in close." His partner warned. The faunus heard the click of machinery behind him and out of the corner of his eye Tall Guy running towards the herd. Large iron claws were strapped to the top of each hand.

Graham switched Tempesta back into its boomerang form. Chucking it so that it got a direct hit on a monster. Nice thing about his weapon, was that his stepfather made sure it would always come back to him. The gray haired boy clenched his hand to activate the long range magnet that was keyed specifically to his weapon. The boomerang was soon back in his hand ready for another throw.

He saw green hair zigging and zagging in between boarbatusks, leaving a trail of downed beasts behind it.

Across the field he saw Purple stabbing her bo staff into the sides of the grimm and one by one, they flew back from the impact. Ash and dirt stuck to the sweat on her tanned face and her hair on the side that wasn't shaved was wind blown from her own explosions.

Right next to her though there were roughly a dozen golden boarbatusk statues. Graham had to pause at that. Where had those come from? His eyes tracked down Blondie's pigtails blowing in the wind as she rode her now hoverboard weapon. Upside down. Her hands were reaching down, gloveless. Graham saw as she passed by each boarbatusk her hand would graze a head or tusk. From where her hand touched, gold would start to rapidly crawl across the surface of the grimm. In a matter of seconds what was once a grimm was now solid gold. Well now that was something you didn't see everyday.

"Boss!" Graham jumped as Blondie yelled to get his attention. An angry squeal caught his attention right behind him. In his moment of distraction one of the monsters was able to get a drop on him. Next thing he knew the hot breath of a boarbatusk has on the back of his neck and his face pressed into the dirt. The weight of the boar grimm on top of him made it hard to breathe. His shoulders were screaming in pain from pointed hooves digging into them.

Unaware to Graham, due to a very large boar pinning him facedown on the ground, many things happened in quick succession. The boarbatusk was hit with a bolt from a crossbow in the back. In the side it was hit with a double flying kick from Delphi, dislodging it from the faunus' back. Once it was off, Oliver's iron claw's slashed right through its head.

Graham was helped into a sitting by his companions. His back was in pain and he probably was depleted of his aura. He looked around him and each of the other students seemed to be in as good a shape as him. Blondie was close to passing out from aura exhaustion as well. Purple was laying on her back trying to get the wind back in her. Even Tall Guy was breathing heavily from the fight. All in all he would call this a success. Well he would have until he felt something make the ground shake.

The others must have felt it too. The shared look of dread on the others faces confirmed his suspicions. Graham retracts his statement of converting. There were no gods.

A giant boarbatusk at least three times the size of the already chest height ones they had been fighting has digging it's hooves into the ground ready to charge at the four of them. None of them were in the shape to face off that thing.

The high pitched whistle of a bolt whizzed through the air, hitting the shoulder of the large grimm. Its attention was redirected instantly.

"Hey ugly!" Glasses had stepped out from the edge of the forest. He was swinging what looked to be a meteor hammer in his hands. "You want a fight? Bring it on!" The boy was yelling across the field.

Ginger Kid was stepping out too, crossbow shifting into a double headed axe almost too difficult for him to lift in its expanded form. They had to get over there. Those two were toast if they fought that monster by themselves. Not that they'd be much help anyway in their state. But to stand back and do nothing isn't what Graham wanted when he signed up to be a huntsman.

The group of four were struggling to their feet rearing for one last go when one last miracle happened. A projectile, smaller than a bolt, smaller than even a bullet hit the giant boarbatusk in the flank, coming from the opposite side of the clearing. Whatever that thing was it had a lot of dust packed into it. As soon as it hit, ice crystallized over the back left leg of the beast, immobilizing it.

Eyes were turned to a small dark skinned girl standing at the edge of the clearing. Her slingshot already drawn back with another projectile.

"Now, Solace!"

A very loud, very angry squeal caused everyone in the immediate area to cover their ears. Before they knew it, each student had to close their eyes as well. Golden light as bright as the sun overtook the clearing. Graham's eyes were clenched shut until the light died down. When he finally opened his eyes, the giant boarbatusk was stone. Still frozen in a stance, ready to charge.

Solace and Tamika were running towards them. Well more like Tamika was running and Solace was doing a very exhausted hobble.

"Are you guys okay?" Tamika asked. "You all look like you've been on the inside of a meat grinder."

"I'm sure that exactly what they want to hear." Solace sighed as he made it to them. He offered his hand to the faunus. "We got to stop meeting like this." A wry grin pulled at the edge of the paladin's mouth.

"I agree." Graham took the hand graciously. By the time the other three students were pulled to their feet, Glasses and Ginger Kid had made their way over to them.

"Thank you for your help." Glasses bowed slightly towards Solace and Tamika. "Russell and I probably would've gotten trampled if you hadn't stepped in."

Tall Guy snorted. "Yeah. What was your plan past 'hey ugly' by the way?"

The blue haired student's nose scrunched up in agitation. "As far as I know what I did saved your life. So I think the words you're looking for are 'thank' and 'you'."

"Oh I'll show you a thank you!"

Anger was carved into their faces, foreheads a finger width's space away from touching each other as the two stared each other down.

Graham only rolled his eyes and tried to move his arms. They still ached from the boarbatusk, but he would have to wait until they got back to the school to get them healed.

"Um Nash? I'm going to get the relic, okay? Russell said to his partner. Who in turn only nodded, still glaring into Graham's partner's eyes.

"Same here." The faunus patted the green haired student's shoulder before walking away. Graham was soon joined by Blondie, Purple, Tamika, and Solace. The temple was old. Crumbling stone with ivy growing out of its cracks was everywhere. There were many pedestals set up in a circle, each one holding a large chess piece.

Graham didn't really play. Too many rules and pieces to keep track of. Now checkers on the other hand. That was a strategy game if he had anything to say about it. Graham closed his eyes and had his hand point in a random direction. When he opened them the gray haired boy picked up a black horse piece. He turned the piece over in his hands. It was made of marble, cool to the touch and heavy enough to be an effective paper weight.

"Well that's over and done with." Graham said to nobody in particular.

Around him he saw his classmates holding their own chosen pieces. And with a decisive nod he decided to be the one to address the elephant in the room.

"Now the question is how do we get back?"

A resounding groan came from every student present. Today has been a very long day.

* * *

Delphi

It was kind of a miracle that the eight of them had made it back before the officiating ceremony. Everyone was sweaty, dirty, and not to mention tired. Who knew killing grimm would be such a hard job?

Once they made it back onto the campus their relics were taken from them and they were lead to the same hall that Ozpin had given his welcoming speech in. Now at night, the only light were the spotlights trained on the stage where the same man was standing.

Staff directed Delphi, Lee, Oliver, and Graham onto the stage. From which Delphi could hardly see from how bright it was on stage. No wonder the headmaster wore sunglasses. Their headshots were displayed on a screen as Professor Ozpin read their names aloud.

"Delphi Levender, Graham D'Argento, Lee Goud, and Oliver Moore. You four retrieved the black knight pieces. From this point on you'll be known as Team GOLD. Led by Graham D'Argento."

While not exactly the team or partner she would've thought of to have, Delphi would admit that back in the Emerald Forest, they had worked pretty well together as a team. There was a polite applause as they walked off stage and back into the audience.

Next up the other students Delphi and her new team had fought with in the forest had stepped onto stage.

"Nash Embers, Russell Sumac, Solace Ray, and Tamika Sinclaire. You four retrieved the white bishop pieces. Starting today you will be known as Team SNST. Led by Solace Ray."

The brunette was about ready to fall asleep on her feet before she heard Pyrrha's name called. Team JNPR huh? She sure looks happy up there Delphi thought to herself. That was probably the biggest smile she had ever seen on her ex-opponent's face. Up there with her team. The oracle smiled to herself. Despite maybe not everything going to plan, like getting Pyrrha to be her partner, Delphi can't say she isn't happy for her.

As the ceremony came to an end with the officiating of Team RWBY, Delphi couldn't help but agree with her headmaster that this year was definitely going to be interesting.

* * *

_Author's Note: SNST is pronounced as sunset btw. Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you'd like._


	4. First (Technically Third) Days

Oliver

Oliver had always been an early riser. It tends to become a habit after years of being the oldest sibling to eight other kids who had trouble waking up. Granted the orphanage matron was a lovely woman. But Sister Puce was getting on in years and she could hardly corral nine kids just by herself. So Oliver had ended up picking up the mantle.

He rose with the sun most of the time and today wasn't an exception. The first day of school is important and essential to making a good impression.

As the sun dawned Oliver started his stretches, trying to keep as quiet as possible. While most might see it as futile to do such things, old habits die hard. He had first started doing them when he had first gotten his prosthetic. The doctor said it would help improve his balance with the heavy replacement limb. After doing the routine for nearly ten years, it was more of a way to wake up than anything else.

Oliver groaned as he felt his back pop a couple times in rapid succession. As he was preparing for his next stretch, he heard the rustle of blankets and the confused mumblings of one of his team mates. Delphi smacked her lips as she sat up in her bed, groggy eyes sweeping the room. The brunette seemed to jump in her skin when she saw Oliver, shirtless and halfway to a perfect splits.

The girl's face flushed bright red before she quickly pulled her blanket up to cover her eyes. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see anything I promise!"

The green haired student clutched a sweaty towel to his chest, face burning a bit himself. He had kind of forgotten that he was rooming with a couple of girls now. "Ah it's fine." Oliver pulled a worn out tank top over his head before finishing the last of his stretches. No need to embarrass his room mate further.

As he finished up he saw that Delphi had pulled the blanket away from her eyes and was watching his metal arm as it moved back and forth. "You can have a closer look if you'd like." Oliver offered shyly.

The girl jolted at being caught. Round, lavender eyes met his before jumping back to his elbow were metal met skin. He was used to curious looks. His brothers and sisters always seemed to want a look too. He had started off with a simple wooden arm, when it was all the hospital could offer a freshly orphaned boy.

The day he lost his parents to a grimm attack, Oliver formed the resolve to become a huntsman. He didn't want any other child to go what he had to go through. But you can imagine it is quite hard to fight with only one arm and wood could only get him so far. So the boy had taken to metalwork. His arm was no technological marvel. It was a patchwork of what scrap metal the local blacksmith was able to give him and a poor imitation of what could be found in more technologically advanced places like Atas. It was fully articulate half through wires and ball joints. Half through his semblance. A form of telekinesis that was only strong enough to lift and effect things up to as big as his body weight.

Tanned fingers gingerly touched the prosthetic like they were afraid it would crumble if they pushed too hard. Oliver allowed the girl to fidget with the fingers and run her hands over raised welding marks.

"It's beautiful." Delphi muttered under her breath so quietly that the boy had to wonder if he was meant to hear it at all. Oliver really did blush at that. There were many things he had heard his prosthetic be referred to. He will admit that it was the first time anyone said it was 'beautiful'.

The green haired boy cleared his throat to try and force the awkwardness away. His teammate's hands pulled away from his arm quickly thinking that she had hurt him in some way. "I'm sorry! Did I do something wrong?"

Oliver scrambled to try and salvage the situation. "No! Everything's fine. You didn't hurt me or anything. See?" He swiveled his arm about this way and that to prove his point.

Delphi's shoulders relaxed at the reassurance before she smiled up at him. "Thanks. For letting me look."

Oliver had trouble meeting her eyes due to embarrassment but he did manage to force out a "No problem." before saying he was going to take a shower.

As he closed the door, he heard his other female roommate's voice. "Did you like what you saw?"

"Lee?!"

After the embarrassing ordeal that Lee would refer to as 'being caught in the act'. Delphi had a hard time looking at Oliver as he was coming out of the bathroom and getting changed into his uniform. Granted this was not the first time the girl had seen someone half naked, but there was a difference between people she had known for her whole life and people she had only met just yesterday. Lee had fallen back asleep after she had had a good laugh at her partner's expense, snoring like it hadn't even happened in the first place.

Delphi took a shower of her own, changing into her uniform and getting ready to face the first day of school, technically third day, but who was counting. Their first class was at nine and while both Oliver and her had been patiently waiting for the other two to wake up it was nearing eight thirty and neither of their partners had so much as moved a muscle.

Her green haired teammate had been slowly becoming more and more twitchy as the minutes went by. Looking up now and then from a book he wasn't really reading periodically.

When the minute hand struck thirty the boy put his book down. "Graham." Oliver shook his partner's shoulder gently. When it didn't work he tried again, a little more firm this time. "Graham."

The only response he got was the faunus pulling the blanket tighter and curling into a ball. Delphi was watching the scene play out in amusement from her bed. A dark, ominous look crawled onto Oliver's face as he looked down at the sleeping team leader. The boy cracked the knuckles of his left hand and his neck before grabbing the red blanket in both hands and pulling with all his might. Having to wake up bratty prepubescents for school for years made this as easy as stealing candy from a baby.

A defeated sigh escaped the gray haired boy as he looked up with his hooded eyes towards his partner. "Five more minutes." He had the audacity to say.

Oliver snorted derisively before throwing the blanket in his hand to the opposite side of the room. "I refuse to be late because my leader decides to sleep-in."

Graham grumbled intelligibly as he walked towards the bathroom, uniform in hand. "Why did I have to get the one partner who was a stick in the mud."

Unbeknownst to Team GOLD, in a dorm room down the hall, a white haired heiress sneezed.

Oliver then turned to Lee, who's sleeping form was as relaxed as could be. Her back was raising evenly with each breath she took. Too bad for her, Oliver knew a fake sleeper when he saw one.

The boy tried the same trick he had tried on his partner. But no such luck. Lee's grip seemed to be hard as steel. On the next try he had to enlist Delphi's help. But even with their combined strength it was more likely to tear the blanket then get Lee to let go.

There was one last Oliver had up his sleeve but there was a fifty percent chance that it would work. He whispered his plan to his team mate so the blonde in the bed wouldn't know what was coming. Delphi gave him a solemn nod before she crept forward to the bed. Her hands were poised for the attack and, like a snake, struck her opponent with scary accuracy.

Lee practically screeched as Delphi poked and prodded her wiggling fingers into the girl's sides. The brunette dodged every hit that her partner threw, not relenting until Lee said "Uncle! I give, I give!"

The indignant girl stalked passed Graham as he exited the bathroom.

Satisfied with his work, Oliver places the red headband that kept his shoulder length hair out of his face on top of his head before taking a deep breath. Today was going to be a good day.

* * *

Nash

Today was officially the worst day ever. Not even a hoard of boarbatusks chasing him would top this. And that had been what one would normally classify as a pretty bad occurrence.

Not only had the hot water run out while he was taking his morning shower, but his favorite brush was missing. He had to wear an itchy and frankly, in his opinion, tacky uniform. And most of all his manicure was now chipped from tripping over one of his new roommates shoes.

It wasn't even nine in the morning. How is Nash supposed to thrive in these conditions.

The boy was carefully trying to salvage his chipped nail while his team members proceeded to get ready behind him. His partner, Russell, was getting dressed, eyes and fingers crossing as he tried to tie his tie properly. Nash's leader has forgoed the tie entirely and was trying to fit into a blazer that was a size too small for his frame.

Tamika, who was honestly probably the only one in the team that got him, was hidden behind lush, velvet, purple curtain she had set up last night. Saying something about 'sharing a room with three boys was going to be a nightmare'. And that 'a girl needs her privacy'. The curtains were held up by equally as decadent, golden, rods drilled into the ceiling. Whether or not Tamika had gotten the clearance to do that to the school owned dorm room Nash didn't know. Although he figured the girl was the kind of person to not care about stuff like that.

He had just finished filing his nails when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head over his shoulder only to see his partner even more tangled in his tie than he was before. "Hey Nash. Mind giving me a hand?"

The blue haired student sighed through his nose. "If I must. What partner would I be to let you walk out of the room like that?"

Dainty, pale fingers slid the bright red tie in and out of frankly way too many knots than should have been in a tie. "Now look closely. This is how you tie a tie." With swift motions and a few straightening tugs here and there, he soon took a step back to look at the simple eldredge knot he had put the tie in.

Nash took an evaluating glance at Russel. He raised his hands to brush off smudges of dust and god knows what on the boy's blazer. Straightening the lapels, taking off his partner's glasses and cleaning them off with his pristine, white handkerchief, and, as one last touch, plucked his cologne from his desk, spritzing it overhead of the ginger. Russel started to cough from the sudden onslaught. "Thank you?" he said hoarsely.

"You're welcome." Nash gave himself a mental pat on the back.

Nash's team trudged to their classes at the early hour of nine. While Nash wasn't necessarily a morning person,despite what he lead people to believe you couldn't be this beautiful naturally, he could get up when needed. History was mentally taxing, with the fast paced lecture of Oobleck had left him and his teammates scrambling. Professor Peach's Math and Science just made Nash's head spin. Math wasn't his thing. They made calculators for a reason and he'll leave it at that. Teams had alternating days with Professor Goodwitch's Combat Class. Every other day was study hall. Time given to train, study, and do homework. It was a packed schedule in his opinion.

Their last class was Strategy and Weapons Training with Professor Port. Although it was more like History with how much the portly man went on and on about himself and his exploits.

Solace led the team to sit in the back of class. Team GOLD was already there. The blonde of the team, Lee Nash's brain supplied, was asleep on the desk. Head lolled to the side and a little bit of drool falling from her mouth. That's when his eyes met the blue eyed boy on the team, Oliver.

Nash tensed before glaring daggers into the boy's skull. Thank all kinds of gods he hadn't ended up as that student's partner. While Russel was a mousy boy, with a bit of an anxious slouch in his posture, a lisp that sometimes made it hard to understand him when he was nervous, and a quite plain sense of fashion, he was still loads better than what Nash had seen of Oliver during their time in the Emerald Forest.

There was just no explaining it. The blue haired student loathed his classmate's guts. And it seemed his resentment was returned, if the scrunching of the green haired boy had anything to say about it.

"What are you looking at, Shorty?" The boy demanded.

"Obviously nothing worth much, Palm Tree." Nash returned.

Oliver's pencil snapped in his grip. Lee snorted into her elbow. "He's right. You do look like a palm tree."

"I'll make Delphi tickle you again." The boy threatened darkly.

Lee was already pretending to be asleep again.

Nash wasn't even going to ask. He flipped his hair as he turned on his heel. He joined his team on the other side of the isle. Fifteen minutes into the 'lecture' Nash counted at least two-thirds of the class was asleep. He found himself drifting off only to wake up only to start drift off again. It wasn't until there was a loud, all too familiar squeal that Nash came to full attention.

The boy thinks he's seen enough boarbatusks to last him a lifetime. The Schnee heiress was facing off against one right in the classroom. Did their professor just have that thing sitting around?! How did he even get one in the cage? Maybe his outrageous stories had some merit after all.

Weiss Schnee won the battle of course. Although with a surprising amount of trouble. From what Nash had heard the girl was a natural. Maybe today was an off day. The boy didn't really know the heiress personally. But his family had attended events hosted by the girl's family once or twice. Each time Nash remembers seeing the girl perform. She was talented as a singer and if he wasn't mistaken as a combatant as well.

After the boarbatusk was slain class was dismissed. Finally! This experience was exhausting. And it was only the first day. Nash gave a deep sigh as he flopped face down onto his bed. This was going to be a long year.

* * *

_Author's Note: Didn't mean for that FMA reference whoops. Please review if you would like. Thank you for reading!_


End file.
